Crime Rate On Trains Shows Big Drop, Septa Official Says

January 16, 1992|The Morning Call

Year-end statistics for violent crimes (such as homicide, rape, assault, robbery) committed on SEPTA's subway-elevated system dropped 43 percent in 1991 compared to 1990, and figures for December 1991 showed an even sharper decline of 61 percent from last year, SEPTA announced yesterday.

SEPTA Chief of Police Ronald M. Sharpe attributes the decline to several improvements made to the Police Department during the same period.

"Last year we divided the entire subway-elevated system into zones, each of which are patrolled by a designated squad of officers. This community policing method has afforded us higher visibility and more familiarity with the people who use particular stations and the type of activity that goes on there," said Sharpe.

Other improvements cited by Sharpe are the acquisition of nine police dogs, aggressiveenforcement of minor crimes, innovative deployment of officers and the shutdown of the subway-elevated system between midnight and 5 a.m.

"Our canine unit has given us a more visible deterrent for crime and has greatly increased our ability to capture fleeing suspects. The dogs have played important roles in at least three pursuits and were credited with two important apprehensions, one of which saved an officer from serious injury," said Sharpe.

Another new feature of SEPTA's Police Department, also credited with contributing to the decrease in crime, is its Criminal Investigations Division. In addition to conducting routine investigations, the division is charged with reviewing and analyzing incidents to establish possible patterns in criminal activity. These analyses are used to determine the deployment of police officers.

Sharpe added that the decision of SEPTA's operations managers to close the subway-elevated system between midnight and 5 a.m. worked to the benefit of passenger safety. "Prior to the shutdown, 28 percent of all the crime on the subway-elevated system took place overnight," said Sharpe.